Healthy Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers Recipe

This Healthy Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers recipe is a delicious, low carb snack or lunch that whips up in just 10 minutes! This easy recipe makes a great low carb and keto alternative to a traditional tuna melt!

If you are looking for a healthy, low carb snack or lunch idea, you have come to the right place! These Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers are not only delicious, they take just minutes to whip up using fridge and pantry staples you probably already have on hand.

It is easily one of my favorite healthy canned tuna recipes! If you love healthy canned tuna recipes, be sure to also check out my Chickpea Salad with Tuna too.

This easy tuna recipe is inspired by the classic tuna melt sandwich. All I did was remove the bread and replace it with adorable little sweet peppers. Sweet mini peppers act as the perfect, crisp vessel to carry that creamy filling of tuna salad and melted cheese! They are absolutely delicious!

I love making these as a healthy snack or a light, low carb lunch. While these tuna stuffed peppers are perfection when they are fresh out of the oven and the cheese is nice and melty, I also like them cold. You can make these ahead of time and meal prep them for work or school lunches. They make a great lunch!

A tuna melt stuffed mini pepper on a parchment lined baking sheet.

If you love stuffed mini peppers, be sure to check out my Pizza Stuffed Mini Peppers and Taco Stuffed Mini Peppers which are also low-carb and keto recipes!

While I opted for mini peppers, you can absolutely swap these for a large bell pepper, especially if you are making these for lunch.

A tray of tuna melt stuffed mini peppers.

Why you should make Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers

  • They are easy to make!

  • This recipe uses fridge and pantry staples. These are all simple ingredients that are easy to find.

  • Only 10 minutes are needed to whip these up!

  • They can be made ahead of time making them great for meal prep.

  • This recipe is low carb and keto-friendly!

  • These stuffed peppers are versatile and can be made as a snack, lunch (or dinner), or appetizer!

  • This recipe is healthy!

  • They are delicious!
Closeup of a tuna stuffed mini pepper topped with melted cheese on a baking sheet.

Ingredients in this recipe:

  • Mini peppers: Sweet mini peppers are my favourite for this recipe but if you want to make larger stuffed peppers you can use bell pepper or similar. If you like a bit of kick, you can even use a hotter pepper variety like jalapenos.

  • Tuna: 1 can of tuna fish is used to make these into bite sized treats. You can opt for a light tuna or white tuna (albacore tuna) that is packed in water if you are trying to cut down the fat. If you aren’t worried about the fat content, oil-packed tuna adds great flavor.

  • Mayonnaise: Adds creaminess to the tuna salad. You can swap it out for Greek yogurt to make this healthier and higher in protein.

  • Dijon mustard: I love adding a bit of mustard to the tuna salad. Dijon is my go to but you can use a different type of mustard or omit it altogether if you are not a fan.

  • Red onion: I used red onion but you can use yellow onion, green onion, or shallots.

  • Parsley: Adds a fresh, herby flavour. I also like to use it as a garnish but that’s optional.

  • Seasoning: salt and pepper. Use as much as you like in the tuna salad, tasting and adjusting as needed.

  • Cheddar cheese: You can’t have a tuna melt without melting some cheese! I used cheddar cheese for this recipe but you can sub a different melty cheese like mozzarella, havarti, etc.
The ingredients for tuna melt stuffed mini peppers on a marble countertop.

Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers

1. In a bowl, add the drained tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, red onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix to combine everything.

Photo collage showing tuna salad ingredients in a bowl and then mixed together.

2. Slice the mini peppers in half and remove the seeds. Arrange them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Scoop the tuna mixture into each mini pepper.

4. Top with shredded cheese and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

A photo collage showing the steps for making tuna stuffed mini peppers.
Close up of a tuna stuffed mini pepper topped with melted cheese and parsley.

Tips and Substitutions

Use larger peppers. I opt to use mini peppers because they make great bite-sized treats but if I want to eat these stuffed peppers as a lunch, larger bell peppers are a great choice. If making this in larger peppers, I use 2 cans of tuna.

Add some heat. As mentioned earlier, you can certainly use a hotter pepper variety like jalapenos if you like a bit of heat to tantalize those taste buds. Another option is to add a bit of hot sauce or red pepper flakes to the tuna salad.

Add more fresh veggies. I kept the healthy tuna salad recipe for stuffing these peppers pretty simple but you can certainly add in more crunchy vegetables like diced celery, carrots or even chopped cherry tomatoes to increase the nutrients in this healthy meal.

Swap out the cheese. You can use any time of melty shredded cheese you want or use crumbled feta cheese instead. If you want to forgo the cheese altogether, avocado is another great ingredient to use as a topping (and add more healthy fatty acids while you’re at it).

Storing and reheating

While these tuna stuffed mini peppers are at their best when they are fresh, you can definitely make them in advance or reheat leftovers again.

To store tuna stuffed mini peppers, allow them to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

To reheat them, place them back on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop them back in the oven.

These mini peppers are also great eaten cold which makes them great for meal prep lunches (a truly easy lunch to prep). If you prefer them warm, you can also reheat these in the microwave, however they will get a little more soggy in the microwave.

A plate of tuna stuffed mini peppers.

What to serve with Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers

As a snack, these are perfect on their own. When I am enjoying them as a meal, I love to enjoy them with a nice side salad. Some of my favourites include these healthy recipes for salad:

Other options for nutritious sides include:

  • A hard-boiled egg. Adding a hard boiled egg to this meal ups the protein content for those days you really need the boost. It’s a light meal that is a great source of protein but will keep you feeling full for a while. [Tip: you can also chop the hard boiled egg and add it to the filling, making it a tuna egg salad filling.] 
  • Serve these alongside a healthy carb (if you are not trying to cut carbs, that is). I love sweet potatoes since they are full of health benefits and so delicious. Try my Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato or Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries to help turn these into quick weeknight meals the whole family can enjoy.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! If you are looking for other healthy tuna recipes, be sure to check out my Chickpea Salad with Tuna and Avocado Tuna Melt.

-Cathy

Closeup of a tuna stuffed mini pepper on a plate with other peppers.

You may also like these easy recipes:

Taco Stuffed Mini Peppers
Pizza Stuffed Mini Peppers
Papoutsakia (Greek Stuffed Eggplant)

A tuna melt stuffed mini pepper on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Healthy Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Catherine
This Healthy Tuna Melt Stuffed Peppers recipe is a delicious, low carb snack or lunch that whips up in just 10 minutes! This easy recipe makes a great low carb and keto alternative to a traditional tuna melt!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 16 stuffed mini peppers
Calories 33 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 mini peppers
  • 133 g tuna (1 can), drained
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons red onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/3 cup cheddar cheese (can sub a different melty cheese like mozzarella, havarti, etc)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • In a bowl, add the drained tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, red onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix to combine everything.
  • Slice the mini peppers in half and remove the seeds. Arrange them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Scoop the tuna mixture into each mini pepper.
  • Top with shredded cheese and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.

Nutrition

Calories: 33kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 49mgPotassium: 50mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 489IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 0.2mg

The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.

Keyword healthy snack, keto, low carb, mini peppers, tuna
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